LOVE NEVER FAILS

One Sunday, the pastor from Kingdom Connection Jentezen Franklin started his sermon with these quotes from Paige Satchel:

  WORK LIKE YOU DON'T NEED THE MONEY
   DANCE LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHING
   LOVE  LIKE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN HURT

The topic for the day was about how Love Never Fails. I recommend to anybody to check Kingdom Connection on the Discovery channel on Sunday at 7:30 before Joel Osteen. I started watching him when one Sunday  for some reason I decided to turn  the tv ON before the time for Joel Osteen which I've been watching for a while now.

The pastor J.Franklin was talking about how he is helping Haiti, since then I watch him every Sunday.
Anyhow, that made me think about how we always forgive those we love.-I always forgive, but
I don't  forget. I don't believe in this forgive and forget thing.

Like the pastor said:  NOBODY IS THAT SPIRITUAL.  I can forgive in 1 hour,  in 1 day or 1 month after the hurt, the betrayal, the longest it takes me to forgive is 3 months but I always do, if you don't forgive it will consume you.-I read somewhere that "THE WEAK CAN NEVER FORGIVE, FORGIVENESS IS THE ATTRIBUTE OF THE STRONG".

Forgiving is not condoning, what someone did to you is still not okay. If  someone hurts me, if someone lies    to me frequentely, I will forgive them but trust them again????
Furthermore, if and when a person has repented we can show them some mercy like God does for us.
For some people, after you forgive them it's best to stay away from them, if possible.

*If love really is unconditional, it will hold any weight, face any doubt, persist through hoplessness and last any trial.


My husband is a wonderful, loving, caring man with a generous heart, a little naive, people tend to take advantage of him and he always forgive.-My children know the power of forgiveness and they also know that, when something is wrong  it's best to talk about it, kind of clear the air and move on. That's the way it is between them. With my three children plus my husband it  always has been like I have four children in  a certain way and  our love for each other has always get us through anything.

Our 26th anniversary is on the 24th of  this  month.  - 26 years.....for better or for worse. We have had a  lot of better and when there is worse THERE IS WORSE. --Anyway I am a Godsend for him. LOL I can see his face reading this.  LOL.

"LOVE  NEVER FAILS, IF IT DID WOULD IT BE LOVE?

 It's my frugal way of saying:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TI PAPY!!! I beat you to the punch.

Limes and Lemons......Very Good Friends of Mine

I have been using limes and lemons all my life, back in my country everytime there was a contagious illness, diarrhea and vomiting epidemics, fever epidemics etc, like all loyal friends they were always there. I would have recourse to lime by putting the juice in every gallon of water to be use. No one ever get sick in my house at time of these epidemics.

Lime and lemon are both citrus fruits rich in vitamin C, but lime has more vitamin C (19mg) than lemon (4mg). They both have flavonoids and the phytochemical Limonene, which have anticancer effects and helps increase the levels of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens.

ANTIVIRAL:  they are potent detoxifiers with antibiotic effects that is protective against bacterial poisoning and cholera  which at this moment is spreading in Haiti after an outbreak in the central Artibonite region. It would be a great  help if people overthere could drink a part of water with one part of lime juice many times daily even if they're not sick. Yet.

I often drink a cup of warm water with lime juice in the morning, it's a good cleanser for the whole body. It helps with  indigestion, constipation, weight loss and more.

** For cold and dry cough, a glass of warm water with  lime or lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey is a good remedy. For sore throat also.
**Lime or lemon juice is great for all types of fever and cold, it increases resistance, reduce toxicity and cuts down the course of the illness. For cataracts and conjunctivitis a few drops of  lime juice diluted with water can be instilled in the eyes  for great results.

FRUGALITY WITH  LIME & LEMON- Before they turn bad I squeeze the juice and store it in a glass bottle in the fridge. You can also make ice cubes with the juice and use them in your beverages.
 After squeezing the juice, use the flesh on your face, it's a great tonic.
The natural health benefits and curative properties of lime and lemon are extensive, excellent sources of vitamin C, B6, potassium, folic acid, the rare vitamin P and the best readily available source of vitamin G.

Frugal Bananas

When I have ripe bananas and I don't have time to use them, I don't throw them away, I peel them and put them in ziploc bags and keep them in the freezer for smoothies. Frozen bananas will keep for 2 months. 
Sometimes my daughter use them to make banana bread, banana muffins and other delicacies.

You can mash one ripe banana and add an egg for a facial mask. I will soon post some frugal banana recipes. Banana peels are good fertilizer, instead of throwing the peels away, simply burry a few next to your plant by the roots, you'll be happy. Don't put bananas next to apples, this will accelerate their ripening.

Bananas are very good source of vitamin C, B6, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese.
Being high in iron content, they are beneficial in the treatment of anemia, they stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood. Bananas have natural benefits and curative properties.

Roasted Parmesan Potatoes

On Saturday evening, while I was checking my recipes box I stumble upon this potatoes' recipe, I decided to make it on Sunday, I gathered my ingredients and the result was delicious, crispy and spicy. Everyone enjoyed eating this meal.

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes peeled  ( I used 7)
1 tbsp oil
3 tbsps grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsps dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminun foil and spray with cooking spray. Slice potatoes in half, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Place potatoes in a medium bowl and toss with oil. Combine parmesan, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Add the parmesan mixture to potatoes; toss to coat potatoes evenly.
Arrange potatoes on prepared baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until potatoes are lightly browned and easily pierced with a knife about 25 minutes.

Beet-Corn-Asparagus Medley

I made this vegetables to go along with my potatoes and baked tilapia.  I call it " Beet-Corn-Asparagus Medley"

Ingredients:

1 Large beet diced
1 cup cut asparagus
1cup corn
1 Medium red onion diced
   some cut leeks (optional)
2  cloves of garlic chopped
2  tbsp olive oil
2  tbsp of  warm water
Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:
In a skillet, on medium heat, add the olive oil and the onions, the garlic and the leeks. Add the beet along with the asparagus,let it simmer and cook for a few minutes. Add the corn, salt and pepper and the warm water, let simmer for 3-5 minutes and serve.

Vegetables and Fruits Juice!

In my younger years, my mother was always making all kind of juices from vegetables and fruits, and all kind of porridges, especially green plantain porridge. She would talk about the benefits of these foods for our body, and our well being. I always thought she was saying that so we can drink the vegetables and fruits juices easily.

I began searching about certain foods and their effects on our body. One juice I never like is the beet juice. I remember she would make it with beetroots, carrots, coconut milk and orange juice, or the juice of a fruit call chadeque wich tastes kind of like a grapefruit.
I have my own version of beet juice. I make it with beets, apples, celery, carrots and ginger root. When you are in the mood, you can add other vegetables or fruits like: kale, cauliflower, mango, broccoli, strawberries etc, whatever floats your boat. It will not take long before you feel the benefits of the juices. When I was having my chemotherapy treatments, I had my juice as often as my body allowed me.

The Juicer that I use.

Carrots, Apples, Beet, Celery, and Ginger

***Beet roots and beet greens are very powerful blood cleansers and blood builders. Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. It is an excellent source of  calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorous, sodium and iron. It has significant anticancer properties, it contains Betacyanin that restores cells respiratory and  inhibits cancer cells growth. Beet juice is very good for curing liver toxicity, kidney ailments and many other unwanted ailments.***

Be creative, Work with what you got!

One of the beauties of frugal living is that you get to enjoy how creative you can be by using only what you have at your disposition. You don't go running to the grocery stores or supermarkets for every single ingredient you don't have to make a meal.

By going to the store everytime you need an ingredient or an item,  you can easily raise your expenses from wanting to get a product of $5.00 to finding yourself leaving the store with a bill of  $50.00. I avoid doing that.  

The best way to be frugal  in the kitchen is by checking your pantry, your fridge, work with what you have and "start your magic". You might be amazed by the results. You never know, you might create something new that works for you and you can share with others.

A few days ago, It was time for food shopping and
I wanted to make some type of a green salad to go along with my rice, but I had small amounts of different vegetables in the fridge, so I used all the small amounts here and there and mix it all up.
Out of that, I made this:

This colorful legumes* was served with white rice.

The mix included kale, spinach, red cabbage, tomato, garlic, onion, salt & pepper, and tomato sauce.

*Legumes in my culture is known as a mix of vegetables in gravy, and might include meat.
The dictionary definition of legumes are known to be foods such as beans, lentils, and peanuts.

Barley Mushroom Soup

My husband and my daughter have decided to go vegetarian for the month of September. As for me, I can either follow their regimen or not. I am not much of a meat eater anyway. I prefer eating salmon, tilapia, flounder etc..

I am the one that have the duty to choose, balance and cook the kind of meals that can provide all the nutrients the body needs to stay healthy, I am good at that.

Yesterday for my husband's lunch break, I made a vegetarian soup that consisted of some grains and vegetables. I also served the soup with a side of salad and garlic bread.

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Barley Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup barley (cooked)
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 gloves garlic minced
Tomato Puree
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of leeks diced
1 small onion diced
1 cup celery sliced
1/2 cup green pepper diced
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook the onions, garlic, celery, leeks, carrots for 5 minutes. Stir in the mushroom and green pepper. Add the tomato puree and let it cook for 5-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

Add the vegetable broth and hot water to the mixture.

Add the cooked barley to the liquid mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

* If you like spicy food like I do, you can add hot pepper to taste.

Let it simmer for another 10 minutes and serve.